This species differs from the invasive C. fluminea in its thinner, often more oval shell with finer concentric sculpture.
Juveniles of this species are sometimes mistaken for members of the Sphaeriidae but differ in having a more solid shell that has distinct collabral sculpture, the inhalant and exhalant siphons are fused by a mantle bridge and different hinge teeth, among other differences. They can also be mistaken for young hyriids, but again the closely-spaced collabral lirae are distinctive, as is the more oval shape and heterodont hinge.
Corbicula australis (Deshayes, 1830)
Common name: Australian Corbicula, little mussel.
Infraclass Heteroconchia
Cohort Heterodonta
Megaorder Neoheterodontei
Order Venerida
Superfamily Cyrenoidea
Family Cyrenidae
Genus Corbicula Mühlfeldt,1811.
Original name: Cyrena australis Deshayes, 1830. In Deshayes, G. P. 1830. Encyclopédie Méthodique. Histoire naturelle des vers. Paris: Agasse Vol. 2 pp. 1-136 [50].
Type locality: Nepean River, New South Wales
Synonyms: Cyclas nepeanensis Lesson, 1831; Cyrena debilis Gould, 1850; Corbicula ovalina Deshayes, 1855; Corbicula minor Prime, 1861; Corbicula angasi Prime, 1864; Corbicula rivina Clessin, 1877; Corbicula sublaevigata Smith, 1882; Corbicula deshayesii Smith, 1882; Corbicula desolata Tate, 1887; Corbicula faba Bullen, 1904; Corbiculina permena Iredale, 1943; Corbiculina esculenta Iredale, 1943; Corbiculina mussoni Iredale, 1943; Corbiculina subovalina Iredale, 1943; Corbiculina aramita Iredale, 1943; Corbiculina semara Iredale, 1943; Corbiculina finkeana Iredale, 1943.
This taxon is widely distributed in the Australian continent. Given the considerable variability and geographic spread it is possible that cryptic species may eventually be identified.
Previously referred to the genus Corbiculina which is now regarded as a synonym of Corbicula.
Shallow burrower in sand and gravel in rivers. In greatest abundance in well-oxygenated riffle habitats, often co-occurring with freshwater mussels (Hyriidae). Sometimes a pest because it can clog irrigation pipes. The biology of this species has been studied (Tham, 1971; Byrne et al. 2000) and like other corbiculids it is a suspension and deposit feeder and the larvae are brooded. Juveniles usually tethered to hard substrates such as rocks and logs by a byssal thread.
In river systems throughout mainland Australia. Although the southwest corner does not have any collection records on our map, a few specimens from that area have been seen.
There are many names in the literature for the Australian species of this genus which reflect the morphological variability of the species. Only one native Australian species is recognised here, although this concept requires testing.
In a relatively recent treatment, Lamprell & Healy (1998) recognised three species in addition to C. australis, C. ovalina Deshayes, 1855, C. esculenta (Iredale, 1943), and the third species, C. maroubra (Iredale 1943), is here considered to be a synonym of C. fluminea while the other two are synonyms of C. australis.
Huber (2015) has recognised C. australis, C. ovulina and C. desolata Tate, 1887 as distinct species. While this may eventually prove to be correct, we treat these taxa as synonyms of C. australis pending more rigorous testing.
The Asian species, Corbicula fluminea, can be distinguished from C. australis in having a rather more triangular shape than most populations of C. australis. Also, Corbicula fluminea can be distinguished from C. australis in having coarser and more widely spaced collabral ribbing.
Beesley, P. L., Ross, G. J. B. & Wells, A., Eds. (1998). Mollusca: The Southern Synthesis. Parts A & B. Melbourne, CSIRO Publishing.
Byrne, M., Phelps, H., Church, T., Adair, V., Selvakumaraswamy, P. & Potts, J. (2000). Reproduction and development of the freshwater clam Corbicula australis in southeast Australia. Hydrobiologia 418: 185-197.
Huber, M., Langleit, A. & Kreipl, K. (2015). Compendium of Bivalves 2. A Full-Color Guide to the Remaining Seven Families. A Systematic Listing of 8,500 Bivalve Species and 10,500 Synonyms. Hackenheim, Germany, ConchBooks.
Iredale, T. (1943a). A basic list of the fresh water Mollusca of Australia. Australian Zoologist 10: 188-230.
Korniushin, A. V. & Glaubrecht, M. (2003). Novel reproductive modes in freshwater clams: brooding and larval morphology in Southeast Asian taxa of Corbicula (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Corbiculidae). Acta Zoologica 84: 293-315.
Lamprell, K. & Healy, J. (1998). Bivalves of Australia. Vol.2. Leiden, Backhuys Publishers.
Smith, B. J. & Kershaw, R. C. (1979). Field guide to the non-marine Molluscs of South-eastern Australia. Canberra, A.N.U. Press.
Smith, B. J. (1992). Non-marine Mollusca. Pp. i-xii, 1-408 in W. W. K. Houston. Zoological Catalogue of Australia, 8. Canberra, Australian Government Publishing Service.
Lamprell, K. & Healy, J. (1998). Bivalves of Australia, volume 2. Leiden, Backhuys Publishers.
Tham, S. Y. (1971). Reproduction in Corbiculina angasi Prime (Mollusca: Bivalvia). BSc(Hons) thesis, Department of Zoology, Monash University, Victoria.
Willan, E. C. & Kessner, V. (2021). A conspectus of the freshwater molluscs of the Daly River catchment, Northern Territory. Northern Territory Naturalist 30: 108-137.
Woolford, T. (1984). A fouling bivalve, Corbiculina australis (Deshayes, 1830), in the Renmark irrigation pipelines: its biology and control options for the Renmark Irrigation Trust. Unpublished Honours Thesis. Zoology Department, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia.
